Daily operations · Excel
Nightly shelter census spreadsheet
Download a free shelter census Excel workbook with a daily log, monthly occupancy summary, and completed example to help reconcile nightly counts.
Made to customize. Change the wording, add your shelter’s details, and share with your team. No account needed.
Nightly census workbook
One Excel file with a blank daily log, monthly totals, instructions, and an editable example.
Make your first copy
- Start in Monthly summary: choose the month before entering counts in Daily log.
- Add your shelter name and agreed count time. Enter counts in amber cells; gray cells calculate.
- Keep the dated rows and formulas in place. Start a fresh copy each month; the Example tab is separate.
Word and Excel files are editable and unlocked. PDFs are print copies. Save a master, then use a separate working copy.
Use the daily log to compare the observed shelter count with the count expected from arrivals and departures. Choose one count time and use it consistently each night. The workbook carries completed nights into a monthly summary while keeping count differences and incomplete coverage visible.
How to use it
- On Monthly summary, enter the first day of the reporting month. Dates in Daily log populate for that month, including leap years.
- Enter starting occupancy, admissions, departures, and the observed ending count. Enter an explicit zero when nothing occurred; leave unknown values blank.
- Enter total beds, out-of-service beds, and unoccupied holds. Use mutually exclusive categories at the same count time.
- Review the row checks and any differences before sharing the monthly summary. Blank or incomplete nights remain visible; do not describe a partial month as complete.
FICTIONAL EXAMPLE
One night, reconciled
- Resident count
- 18 starting + 3 admissions − 2 departures = 19 expected; 19 observed; difference 0.
- Bed status
- 24 total − 2 out of service = 22 operational; 22 − 19 occupied − 1 unoccupied hold = 2 open.
- Occupancy
- 19 occupied bed-nights ÷ 22 available bed-nights = 86.4% for this night.
What the terms mean
- Operational capacity
- Total beds minus beds out of service. In this template, an unoccupied hold remains in operational capacity but is not open for placement.
- Occupied bed-night
- One occupied bed at the agreed nightly count. Summing these snapshots is an operational measure, not a count of unique residents.
- Monthly occupancy
- The sum of occupied bed-nights divided by the sum of operational capacity across the same completed nights. Do not average daily percentages.
Adapt it to your shelter
This is an operational bed-based log, not an official HMIS export or room-based family capacity report. Align hold rules and count time with your local policy. Occupancy alone does not measure resident outcomes or quality of care.
Published by ShelterCurrent · Web guidance updated .
Downloads prepared September 8, 2026 · Version 1.1.
Sources and further reading
These references provide context. The downloads are original ShelterCurrent templates, not official forms or endorsed materials.
Connect the count to the nightly routine
Keep using the workbook with your current records, or compare it with a shared census workflow. Review how staff check attendance, resolve gaps, and finish the intended night.
Explore the ShelterCurrent demo with fictional data. No account is required.